Globalization

The avenues of globalization most obvious in my life are the products of outsourcing. The collective efforts of multiple companies striving to produce goods in faster and more cost-effective ways has led to a decrease in materials that are manufactured inside of the United States. Through the simple process of putting on my clothes each morning, the modernization theory is discernible. Malaysia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh, places I have neither visited nor could place on a map adorn the tags of my clothing in small print. In addition, my phone and computer- gadgets I could scarce live without- were assembled in Shenzhen and Suzhou, respectively. When the mirror of my Honda Accord was torn off, its replacement was shipped in from Foshan, China. These examples of outsourcing also highlight the growing trend of global economic integration. This integration positively reflects globalization by providing employment opportunities in other countries. Additionally, economic integration nurtures global collaboration, which results in more effective manufacturing methods, clearer marketing strategies and enhanced productivity.

The ongoing process of globalization continues to flatten out our world by interconnecting the collective ideas, beliefs, and knowledge of the human race. The outsourcing used by companies in the US is evidenced in the products I buy, and further illustrates the role globalization has played in economically integrating the rest of the world. Each individual's ability to flatten out the world is restricted not by a lack of resources, but by their personal interest in global interconnectedness. Truly, the world is only as flat as one perceives it to be.